Managing on a low income is difficult although not completely impossible. Bills have to be paid and food has to be bought but unfortunately you do not qualify for help with anything and have no insurance for doctor's bills. What do you do? You learn to live within your means and not a step above as most people today tend to do thanks in part to credit being so readily available to them.

Finances come into a different light when after the bills are paid you barely have enough to put food in the house and purchase gasoline to make it to work. There is no money left for emergencies and you have no choice but to take lunch with you because you would not eat other wise.

When you have a low income you all bills are marked on the calendar with the name, amount and due date. Each one is paid as it comes and the hope is that it will be paid in full each month. Every month with a low income the bills are gone over to get the total amount in hopes that they have went down.

Seeds are cheaper than food; so you begin to buy a couple seed packets and plant a small patch that you work by hand. Though not much it takes a little off of the grocery bill each week and it is possible to put up excess for the winter when the plants won't grow. Mealtime gets more creative as you begin to experiment with what is on hand and learn to make things from the stuff you keep in your pantry regularly. More time than money is invested in what you do.

Clothes wear out and have to be replaced. Instead of going to the mall look into thrift stores and at clearance racks for clothes priced less than half of the full price. As clothes begin to lose buttons and develop tears you begin to sew them instead of discarding them as so many people do without thinking.

When you clean your house you will take old clothes and worn out rags and use them on the floors. These will get washed to use again and again. You will use soap and water to clean most everything in the house instead of buying a different cleaner for every surface.

Sometimes when on a low income doctors are not sought when one is sick for the fear of the bill and cost of the medication they may need. Payment arrangements can be made with some doctor's offices and some hospitals offer financial aide and payment plans if you become ill.

Managing on a low income is possible if you are willing to adjust some habits and put more time and effort than money into meeting your needs.

Learn more about this author, L. Beall.
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